Cork City FC Women ready for opening test away to double champs Shelbourne 

THE cold winter months are over for Cork City FC Women and their attention now turns to the opening game of the season against reigning league and cup double winners Shelbourne at Tolka Park on Saturday.

Danny Murphy and his team have been training for this day since the curtain went down after their final game of 2022, and everything is building towards a fascinating clash between a City team on the rise and Shels reeling from a winter of change.

The Reds were undoubtedly the best team in the country last year, and they finished off a historic campaign by defeating Athlone Town in the Women’s FAI Cup final at Tallaght Stadium.

As soon as the trophy was hoisted in the air, newcomers Shamrock Rovers went in and signed a host of top players from Noel King’s squad. One of those is Cork’s Amanda Budden, who left Tolka Park after two seasons and two leagues.

The Hoops also brought in Republic of Ireland senior internationals Abbie Larkin and Jessica Gargan, who were crucial to Shelbourne’s double success.

Their first competitive game back was the President’s Cup final and Athlone Town got their revenge last weekend. If that was the first test of this new Shelbourne team, it’s impossible to make any concrete assessments based off their performance in Athlone Town Stadium.

Whereas City had an inspired pre-season campaign that saw them narrowly lose to league heavyweights Wexford Youths and they drew with Shamrock Rovers, who had two senior Irish internationals in their starting XI.

The biggest losses that City had to endure in the off-season was the departure of Nathalie O’Brien, and Orlaith Deasy signing for Wexford Youths.

In their place, the manager has brought in five new players.

Two of those are Jesse and Alix Mendez, who are back at City after a brief period playing with Treaty United.

Two players have come to Leeside from the United States, Anna Costello and Erika Manfre, and Faye Ahern has been signed after previously playing for Passage in the CWSSL and Cork in the Gaynor Cup.

The trio have slotted into a squad that has retained its core group from 2022 and been through a full pre-season under Murphy. The coach took over last May and that sparked a late season surge that led to City finishing in ninth place. They recorded a number of impressive results in the final few weeks of the year, including a 3-2 victory over Sligo Rovers and a 3-0 win at Market Fields.

Murphy recently told The Echo that he wants to use the momentum to push for a top-five finish in 2023. It all starts with the game against Shelbourne on Saturday at Tolka Park, a ground where they lost 2-1 on at the end of last season.

There’s a general unknown quantity circling both teams, as one is getting over an exodus of players while preparing for a three in a row title charge and the other feels ready to deliver on its potential after years of nurturing a talented young squad.

Whatever happens, it’s only the first game of the season and City have an opportunity to make a statement by getting a result in one of the toughest places to go in the Women’s National League.